Cane-harvester.



No. 769,628. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. A. 0. PESSOU.

CANE HARVESTBR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

. Suueul'oz 5* vil neowo No. 769,628. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. A. 0.PESSOU.

CANE HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1904.

NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

anuenroz Quorum No. 769,627. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

' J. E. PERRAULT. GAGE FOR LAGING HOOK SETTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1903. N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented September 6, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALPHONSE O. PESSOU, OF NE ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

CANE-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,628, datedSeptember 6, 1904.

Application filed June 23, 1904.

To All 1071,0111, it ntmy concern:

Be it known that I, ALrHoNsE O. PEssoU, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in(Jane-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to harvesters of the stalk-cutter type; and it hasfor its object to provide a simple and light-draft machine adapted tocut sugar-cane close to the ground, thereby saving from one to threejoints of the cane, and also adapted to load the cane into carts ordeposit the same in windrows.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptionand claims, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in whiclr-- Figure l is a plan viewof the machine constituting the present and preferred embodiment of myinvention. Fig. 2 is side elevation of the machine, and Fig. 3 is adetail view illustrating the means for coupling the endless elevator ofthe machine with the shaft bearing the rear wheels thereof.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of thedrawings, referring to whiclr- A is the main frame of my novel machine.The said frame may be of any construction compatible with the purposesof my invention without involving a departure from the scope thereof,although I prefer to have it comprise horizontal side bars 1!, suitablyconnected together and provided on their forward portions wit-hinwardly-directed lateral bars .7), uprights c, risingfrom theconnection between the rear portions of the bars a, and inclined braces(Z, interposed between and connecting the bars (1 and the upper ends ofthe said uprights a.

B is a transverse shaft journaled in suitable bearings on the rearportion of the main frame and provided with traveling wheels C.

D l) are yokes pivotally connected to the forward portions of theframe-bars u, so as to swing in horizontal planes, and designed for theconnection of mules or other draft-animals.

E E are wheels mounted in the said yokes,

Serial No. 213,848. (No model.)

and F F are upright shafts journaled in vertically-disposed boxes 0,carried by the forward portion of the main frame and disposed in atransverse plane slightly in rear of the wheels E. The shafts F F areprovided at their lower ends with horizontally-disposed circular knivesOr, the knife G of the shaft F being lapped with the knife of the shaftF and arranged immediately under the same for a purpose presently setforth. The shafts F F are also journaled in boxes 3", connected by legs7 to the main frame, and are equipped at their upper ends withcaneknocking reels 71.. The shaft F is further provided, as best shownin Fig. 2, with a loose collar 1', which is provided with diametricallyopposite projections y' and is interposed between the main frame and acollar K', fixed on the shaft F through the medium of a set-screw orother suitable means. The collar 1' is arranged in engagement with thebifurcated arm of a vertically-disposed bell-crank Z, which bell-crankis connected by a link in with a hand-lever 'n, fulcrumed on the mainframe and carrying a detent 7), arranged to engage a segmental rack Invirtue of this construction it will be observed that when the lever n isthrown toward the rear the shaft F will be raised, as will also theshaft F, this latter because of the arrangement of the knife of thefirst-mentioned shaft below that of the shaft F. It will also be noticedthat when the lever )1 is thrown forwardly the shaft F will bepositively moved downwardly, while the shaft F will gravitate until itsknife rests upon that of the shaft F. It will further be observed thatthrough the medium of the detent p and the segmental rack q the knivesof the two shafts F F may be adjustably fixed above the ground at thedistance best-suited to the condition of the cane to be cut.

H is a transversely-disposed roller journaled in the main frame at apoint slightly above the ground.

1 is a transverse roller journaled on the main frame at the rear endthereof and disposed in a plane considerably above that of the roller H;J J, idler-rollers mounted on the inclined braces (Z of the main frame,and K a sp1'ocketwl1eel mounted on the shaft B and fixed thereto throughthe medium of a clutch L, as best shown in Fig. 3. The sprocketwheel Kis connected with the roller I through the medium of a sprocket-belt M,asprocketwheel N, a spur-gear P, fixed with respect to the wheel N, anda spur-gear Q, fixed with respect to the rollerI and intermeshed withthe said spur-gear P. From this it follows that when the machineis drawnforwardly and the spur-gear K is fixed on the shaft B the encllesselevator R, which takes around the rollers H and I and has its" upperstretch arranged on the idler-rollers J, will be driven in the directionindicated by arrow in Fig. 2. It also follows that when thesprocket-wheel K is rendered loose on the shaft B, as when the machineis to be moved over a road from one point to another, the elevator R andthe connection between the same and the shaft B will be left idle, so asto render the draft light.-

S is a platform disposed at the rear end of the main frame A andinclined transversely and preferably so that its lowermost end is at theright-hand side of the machine. The said platform S is connected ats ttothe main frame, preferably in a hinged manner, and is normally supportedin the position illustrated by braces to, which are connected to therear portion of the platform, preferably in a hinged manner, and areprovided at their forward ends with depending portions 0, let into eyes20 on the main frame. By reason of this construction it will be observedthat when the braces u are disengaged from the eyes w the platform S maybe swung downwardly against the rear end of the main frame, so as to beout of the way, the braces 10 being interposed between the platform andthe rear end of the main frame. v

In practice when my novel machineis drawn through a cane-field it willbe observed that the knives G will cut the cane-stalks at a point closeto the ground, and the reels it, which are rotated by the canecontacting with the perimeters of the knives, will knock the cane backon the elevator R. The said elevator will carry the cane upwardly andrearwardly to the platform S, from whence it will be discharged eitherinto a cart drawn to the side of the machine or into a windrow.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that my improved machine isadapted to quickly cut and load the cane and at a small cost; also, thatthe cutting of the cane through the medium of the knives G obviates thenecessity of shaving the stubble subsequent to the said cutting. It willfurther be observed that the cutting of the cane close to the groundmaterially increases the quantity of saccharine substance afiorded bythe cane.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction andrelative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferredembodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exactunderstanding of the same. I do not desire, however, to

be understood as confining myself to such specific construction andrelative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may bemade in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention asclaimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In a cane-cutter, the combination of a main frame having side bars,rear wheels connected with'and supporting the main frame, horizontallymovable yokes pivotally connected to the forward portions of the sidebars of the frame, wheels mounted in said yokes, vertically-disposedshafts journaled in the main frame, in rear of the forward wheels,

and having horizontally-disposed knives at their lower ends andknocking-reels at their upper ends, a transverse roller mounted in themain frame immediately in rear of the vertical shafts and above theknives thereof, a transverse roller I disposed on the rear portion ofthe main frame and in a horizontal plane above that of thefirst-mentioned roller, an endless elevator mounted on said rollers, adriving connection between one of the rear wheels and the roller I fordriving the latter by the former, and a laterally-inclined platformarranged to receive cane from the upper portion of the endless elevator.

2. In a cane-cutter, the combination of a main frame, rear and forwardwheels supporting said main frame,vertically-disposed shafts arrangedside by side and journaled in the forward portion of the main frame andhaving horizontally-disposed knives at their lower ends andknocking-reels at their upper ends; the knives of said shafts beinglapped, a bellcrank engaging the shaft bearing the lowermost knife, ahand-lever fulcrumed on the main frame and connected with thebell-crank, coacting means on the main frame and the handlever foradjustably fixing the latter, a transverse roller H mounted in the mainframe immediately in rear of the vertical shafts and above the knivesthereof, a transverse roller I disposed on the rear portion of the mainframe and in a horizontal plane above that of the roller H, an endlesselevator mounted on the rollers H and I, a driving connection betweenone of the rear wheels and the roller I, and a laterally-inclinedplatform arranged to receive cane from the upper portion of the endlesselevator.

3. In a cane-cutter, the combination of a main frame, wheels supportingthe same, an inclined endless elevator mounted in the main frame,cane-cutting means carried by the main frame, means for knocking the cutcane on the endless elevator, a driving connection between one of thewheels and the elevator, a

fureated arm straddling and engaging said collar, a hand-lever fulcrumedon the main frame and connected with the other arm of 5 the bell-crank,and coaeting means on the frame and lever for adjustably fixing thelatter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

ALPHONSE O. PESSOU. \Vitnesses:

CHARLES RODRIGUEZ, Ron'r. Mo DOWELL.

